Andrew Crofts (footballer)

Andrew Lawrence Crofts (born 29 May 1984) is a professional footballer who is a player-coach for Brighton & Hove Albion under-23's. He has made 29 appearances for Wales at international level.

Andrew Crofts
Crofts with Gillingham in 2008
Personal information
Full name Andrew Lawrence Crofts[1]
Date of birth (1984-05-29) 29 May 1984[2]
Place of birth Chatham, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Brighton & Hove Albion (player/under-23 coach)
Number 48
Youth career
1994–2000 Chelsea
2000–2001 Gillingham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2009 Gillingham 174 (17)
2008–2009 → Peterborough United (loan) 9 (0)
2009 → Wrexham (loan) 16 (1)
2009–2010 Brighton & Hove Albion 44 (5)
2010–2012 Norwich City 68 (8)
2012–2016 Brighton & Hove Albion 71 (5)
2016 → Gillingham (loan) 6 (0)
2016–2017 Charlton Athletic 46 (1)
2017 Scunthorpe United 4 (0)
2018–2019 Newport County 9 (0)
2019 Yeovil Town 0 (0)
2019– Brighton & Hove Albion 0 (0)
National team‡
2002–2004 Wales U19 8 (0[3])
2005–2006 Wales U21 10 (1[3])
2005– Wales 29 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:15, 27 July 2019 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 07:24, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

He started his career with Gillingham, for whom he made his Football League debut at the age of 16, and made over 190 appearances for the Kent-based club. He had loans at Peterborough United and Wrexham during the 2008–09 season and joined Brighton & Hove Albion in 2009. After a successful season at Brighton he transferred to Norwich City in 2010, before moving back to the South Coast club in 2012.

A tough-tackling midfielder, Crofts represented Wales, where one of his grandparents was born, at under-19 and under-21 level and won his first senior cap in 2005. In 2008, he won his 12th cap, breaking the record for the most international caps received by a Gillingham player.

Early life

Crofts was born in Chatham, Kent, and began playing competitive football at the age of six for a club in nearby Rainham. Between the ages of 10 and 15 he attended weekly training sessions organised by Premier League club Chelsea. He also tried out on two occasions for the English Schools Football Association's national schoolboy team, but was unsuccessful.[2]

Club career

Gillingham

In September 2000, Crofts joined Gillingham as a trainee and was a regular in the club's youth and reserve teams during the 2000–01 season. At the end of the season, shortly before his 17th birthday, he was a surprise inclusion in the first team squad for a match at home to Watford,[2] and made his Football League debut as a late substitute, replacing Marlon King.[4] The following season, he suffered a broken leg during a reserve team match and missed several months of the season.[5] Although he returned to action in early 2002, his next appearance for the first team did not come until October, when he came on as a substitute in a League Cup match against Stockport County.[6] This was to be his only senior appearance of the 2002–03 season.[7] He finally secured a regular first team place towards the end of the following season, featuring regularly during March and April 2004.[8]

Crofts was a first team regular in the 2004–05 season, making 27 Football League appearances, and scoring his first senior goal for the club in a defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on 26 December.[9] In January 2005, he signed a new contract designed to keep him at the club until 2009.[10] He was omitted from the team for most of March and April, but was recalled for the last match of the season, in which a draw with Nottingham Forest led to the "Gills" being relegated from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to Football League One, the third tier.[9][11] In the 2005–06 season, he made the most appearances of any player in the Gillingham squad, missing only one of the team's 46 matches in League One.[12] Although the team struggled in the league, finishing in the lower half of the table, they defeated Premier League team Portsmouth in the League Cup, with Crofts scoring the winning goal.[13][14] The following season, he again made over 40 appearances and also scored eight goals, his best total for an individual season, but Gillingham again finished the season in the bottom half of the table.[15][16] He made his 100th start for the club on 18 December 2006 in a match against Bournemouth, and marked the occasion with a goal.[17] At the end of the season, he won four awards at the club's Player of the Year event and was dubbed Mr Gillingham by then-manager Ronnie Jepson.[18] He took over as team captain in the 2007–08 season,[19][20] but it was an unsuccessful season for the team, who were relegated from League One.[21] The following October he was stripped of the captaincy, which was instead given to Barry Fuller. Manager Mark Stimson stated that he felt that the captaincy might have been too much of a burden for Crofts, and had a negative effect on his form.[22] Soon afterwards, the club made Crofts available for transfer.[23]

Peterborough United and Wrexham (loans)

In November 2008, he joined Peterborough United on loan.[24] Shortly after returning to Gillingham the following January, he went on a second loan period, this time to Wrexham until the end of the season.[25] He made his debut on the same day in a 2–1 defeat to Burton Albion.[26] Upon his return to Gillingham from his loan spell, he was released from his contract.[27]

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 29 June 2009, Crofts agreed to join League One club Brighton & Hove Albion on a two-year contract.[28] He made his debut for Brighton during the 1–0 home defeat to Walsall on 8 August 2009[29] and scored his first goal for Brighton during the 2–2 draw at Yeovil Town on 10 October 2009.[30] Crofts was given the role of captain by new manager Gus Poyet before the 3–1 away victory at Southampton.[31] Crofts was later confirmed as permanent captain at the beginning of January 2010.[32]

Norwich City

On 21 May 2010, Norwich City announced the acquisition of Crofts from Brighton, for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £300,000.[33] He became the club's first signing of the summer transfer window, signing a three-year deal at Carrow Road.[34] On 6 August 2010, he scored a goal on his debut against Watford.[35] He subsequently gained promotion to the Premier League with the "Canaries" in his first season at the club. He initially kept his place as a regular starter for Norwich in the top tier, but in the second half of the 2011–12 season he gradually fell out of favour at the club.

Return to Brighton & Hove Albion

Crofts was transferred back to Brighton in August 2012.

Loan return to Gillingham

On 19 March 2016, Crofts re-joined Gillingham on loan until the end of the season.[36]

Charlton Athletic

On 22 July 2016, Crofts signed a one-year contract with Charlton Athletic.[37] He scored his first goal for Charlton in a 1–1 draw with Southend United on 31 December 2016.[38] On 1 September 2017 the club announced that he had ended his contract by mutual agreement.[39]

Scunthorpe United

Crofts signed for Scunthorpe United on 31 August 2017, signing a one-year contract with the North Lincolnshire-based club.[40] On 18 May 2018, he was not offered a new contract,[41]

Newport County

On 26 June 2018 Crofts signed for Newport County on a one-year contract.[42] He made his Newport debut in a 3–0 defeat at Mansfield Town on 4 August.[43] Crofts was a 90th minute substitute for Newport in the League Two playoff final at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 2019. He was released by Newport at the end of the 2018–19 season.[44]

Yeovil Town and second return to Brighton & Hove Albion

In June 2019 Crofts joined Yeovil Town as a player-coach.[45] On 27 July 2019, however, he left the club to rejoin Brighton & Hove Albion as a player-coach with the club's under-23 side.[46] He played for Brighton U21s in the 2–0 away win over AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Trophy on 3 September 2019.[47]

International career

As one of his grandparents was born in Wales he was eligible to play for the Welsh national team, and after representing the country at under-19 and under-21 level he won his first senior cap, an award given to a player representing his national team, in 2005. In 2008, he won his twelfth cap, breaking the record for the most international caps received by a Gillingham player. Crofts was selected for the Welsh national under-19 team in 2002, qualifying due to having a Welsh grandparent.[3][48] He made his first appearance for the team in the Milk Cup tournament in Northern Ireland, but was forced to return home after suffering an ankle injury in the Welsh team's first match.[49] In total he made eight appearances at under-19 level,[3] including appearing in a second Milk Cup in 2003.[50]

After moving up to the under-21 level Crofts was selected for the national under-21 team for the first time for a match against Germany in February 2005.[51] He went on to gain 12 caps at this level, scoring one goal.[3]

He made his debut for the Welsh national team against Azerbaijan on 12 October 2005, coming on as a substitute for Carl Fletcher.[52] At the end of the 2005–06 season, as part of manager John Toshack's policy of introducing young players to the team, Crofts gained two further caps, both as a substitute, against Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago,[53][54] and also played in an unofficial international match against a Basque Country XI.[55]

He was included in the starting line-up for an international for the first time in August 2007 when he played the full 90 minutes of a match against Bulgaria,[56] but was back on the substitutes' bench for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Germany the following month.[57] He became established as a regular member of the Welsh squad during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.

Personal life

Crofts is a fan of Chelsea and at one time shared a flat with the club's future captain John Terry.[58] During his time as captain of Gillingham, he was involved with a number of charity events, including acting as a celebrity waiter at a Gillingham pub and presenting a signed shirt to a brain damaged teenage fan.[59][60] In January 2005, he dedicated a match-winning goal to his grandmother Lily, who had died several months earlier.[61]

Career statistics

Club
As of 3 September 2019
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gillingham 2000–01[62] First Division 1000000010
2001–02[19] 0000000000
2002–03[7] 0000100010
2003–04[8] 8000100090
2004–05[9] Championship 272100000282
2005–06[12] League One 45210312[lower-alpha 1]0513
2006–07[15] 43820111[lower-alpha 1]0479
2007–08[63] 415101000435
2008–09[64] League Two 90101000110
Total 1741760823019119
Peterborough United (loan) 2008–09[64] League One 9000000090
Wrexham (loan) 2008–09[64] Conference Premier 16100002[lower-alpha 2]0181
Brighton & Hove Albion 2009–10[65] League One 445521000507
Norwich City 2010–11[66] Championship 448000000448
2011–12[67] Premier League 240200000260
Total 688200000708
Brighton & Hove Albion 2012–13[68] Championship 240100000250
2013–14[69] 235110000246
2014–15[70] 7000100080
2015–16[71] 170100000180
Total 715311000756
Gillingham (loan) 2015–16[71] League One 6000000060
Charlton Athletic 2016–17[72] League One 45120103[lower-alpha 3]0511
2017–18[73] 1000101[lower-alpha 3]030
Total 461202040541
Scunthorpe United 2017–18[73] League One 4020000060
Newport County 2018–19[74] League Two 9010101[lower-alpha 4]0120
Yeovil Town 2019–20[75] National League 0000000000
Brighton & Hove Albion 2019–20 Premier League 0000000000
Brighton & Hove Albion combined total 1251083200013513
Brighton & Hove Albion
Reserves & Academy		 2019–20 ———1[lower-alpha 5]010
Career totals 4473721313211049242
  1. Appearances in the Football League Trophy
  2. Appearances in the FA Trophy
  3. Appearances in the EFL Trophy
  4. Appearances in EFL League Two play-offs
  5. 1 appearance in EFL Trophy

    International
    Appearances and goals by national team, year and competition
    National teamSeasonAppsGoals
    Wales U21[3] 2005–06101
    National teamSeasonAppsGoals
    Wales[3][76] 2005–0610
    2006–0730
    2007–0850
    2008–0930
    2009–1000
    2010–1130
    2011–1270
    2012–1320
    2013–1430
    2014–15 0 0
    2015–16 1 0
    2016–17 0 0
    2017–18 1 0
    Total290

    International goals

    Under–21

    Score and results list Wales U21s' goal tally first.[77]
    #DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
    1.16 August 2005Stebonheath Park, Llanelli Malta1–03–1Friendly

    Honours

    Norwich City

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